Everyone is talking about talking. Yes, you read that right.

Clubhouse, the newest social media app focused on audio-only chat rooms, has been all the buzz for the past few months. Clubhouse just celebrated its first anniversary at 12.7 million downloads in the app store, with only an IOS app available for download. All the buzz is an understatement.

If you haven’t heard about Clubhouse or have only picked up bits and pieces in passing (we get it; it’s hard to keep up), let us give you the rundown.

What is Clubhouse?

Clubhouse is a social media app whose defining feature is verbal communication. Think of Clubhouse as a marriage between a conference call and previously popular Linkedin groups.

Users create clubhouse Clubs to open a forum on a general topic—topics on Clubhouse range from running a Youtube channel to gardening to the future of technology. Whatever a person can be passionate about, there’s a club. (And if there’s not, you may be able to make one, depending on how long you’ve been active on the app.) It’s just like the high school club fair all over again, except this time you’re begging for an invite!

The most significant difference between Clubhouse and other traditional social media platforms is that Clubhouse has stripped it down to only include verbal communication.

What’s the Hype Around Clubhouse?

So you’re telling me Clubhouse has made conference calling cool? If that’s the way you want to look at it, then yes, but it’s bringing even more to the table in the social media sphere.

The Clubhouse app encourages conversation and community.

Clubhouse is encouraging users to speak to one another with fewer boundaries. The strategic grouping of topics allows users to learn and teach in subjects they hold dear to their hearts. The categorized approach right from the start lets users come into conversations with more confidence and the knowledge that everyone in that room has decided they want to speak or listen about that particular topic.

There is an instant connection Clubhouse has created by finding the commonalities first.

Experts can share their knowledge with ready listeners on Clubhouse.

Right now, Clubhouse is being run by countless industry experts who have been given the golden opportunity to step up and speak about what they know best, and they aren’t taking that opportunity for granted.

Industry leaders are utilizing Clubhouse as close-knit digital keynotes with only a fraction of the planning involved. Spur of the moment knowledge is part of the appeal of Clubhouse. Users can hop on at any time, join an event, and log off the app with more knowledge than they started. It’s nearly a guarantee.

Clubhouse holds people accountable.

Right now, it’s easy to look at social media as the wild, wild west. Though guidelines are in place, there is still a lot of misuse of social media platforms. Some of that is because, relatively speaking, social media platforms are still very new. Meanwhile, users have become more and more comfortable with social media sites, voicing their opinions (oftentimes all of them) behind the comfort of a keyboard where repercussions are few and far between.

Clubhouse presents a different model that encourages conversation and offers a place to have open, honest conversations. The removal of the chat features is providing one significant thing: accountability.

The audio-only approach Clubhouse forces users to listen and speak (and occasionally send some applause). It does so in a way where users have no choice but to voice their opinions verbally. When you take the anonymous element out of the online discussion, there is almost instantly more trust to be found.

As Clubhouse grows, we hope that this type of integrity stays intact.

How Do I Get Invited to Join Clubhouse?

Just like any good Clubhouse, to join, you need a secret password, or in this case, a personal invite from someone already in the Clubhouse. Yep, you need to know a guy on the inside, at least for now.

Clubhouse presented the invitation-only model to ensure every user was a legitimate person eager to participate in meaningful conversation. It is what they refer to as a “trust-based program,” and as frustrating as it proves for those on the outside, it has worked to help build meaningful communities within the app.

Right now, every user who joins Clubhouse gets a designated number of invites they can send to whoever they please. The demand for Clubhouse codes is so high right now that people are selling their codes for upwards of $250. If that doesn’t prove the hype is real, nothing will.

What is Clubhouse Offering That Other Social Media Platforms Aren’t?

Everything Clubhouse is bringing to the table as the new social media app in town is refreshing.

We spoke with Chef Vedam Clementi of Vee Culinary who is an established member of the Clubhouse app. Chef Vedam frequents clubs based on gluten-free cooking and lifestyles and food television production, along with other personal topics of interest.

“I like Clubhouse because you get to connect with people. With Clubhouse, you’re basically having conversations with people like you would around a dining room table or in a book club,” says Chef Vedam.

The nature of Clubhouse encourages positive communication and not just an attack of the keyboard keys. As social networking sites grow, a sense of community seems to disappear, but Clubhouse is leading with an emphasis on community first.

Chef Vedam expressed that in recent years, his experience with Facebook has been downright draining.

“Every time I get on there (Facebook), it either makes me angry or pissed off or depressed,” says Chef Vedam.

Chef Vedam continued by saying that Clubhouse is opening a door for low-stress communication compared to other social media platforms.

“It’s very easy for people to talk compared to being in front of a video camera. You’re getting a little bit more authenticity with it being vocal-only. There’s no pressure to look some way or be some way.”

Clubhouse is doing everything within its power to be inclusive. Clubhouse is easy to use for all ages and provides a level of comfort that allows ideas from everyone to flourish.

Chef Vedam finished by saying this: “I think Clubhouse is going to change social media greatly.”

What Other Platforms Are Like Clubhouse?

Since Clubhouse has gained traction, Twitter has also boarded the drop-in audio train with Twitter Spaces. Twitter Spaces is an in-app drop-in audio room for users to have public conversations. Twitter Spaces provides a much more intimate setting than Clubhouse, with a cap of ten people per conversation compared to Clubhouse’s 5,000+.

Like Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces focuses on encouraging conversation between users, which is especially fitting for Twitter given its reputation for social and political discourse.

Currently, the Clubhouse app and Twitter Spaces are the only public social chat platforms gaining any traction.

What Frustrations Are People Having with the Clubhouse app?

Let’s face it: no new social media platform is free of criticism.

Though high praises are being sung for Clubhouse across the board, there are still a few things going on that are causing people to scratch their heads.

One of the biggest frustrations people are facing with Clubhouse is the inability to easily join the platform. Clubhouse is currently only available to iOS users who are personally invited to use the app by established Clubhouse app members.

To have such inclusive conversation happening on a currently exclusive app has been frustrating to many. Gravity Junction CEO Sharla Crawford, alongside miscellaneous Linkedin users, have stated their desire to go out and buy an iPhone to have the opportunity to participate in Clubhouse.

With time, an Android app is expected to roll out, but the frustration with lack of accessibility to the app grows until then.

Is Clubhouse Good For Business?

The simple answer: yes. Clubhouse users can establish themselves as knowledgeable, trustworthy people while building a following based on value first.

As a business owner and industry expert, you are allowed the opportunity to build connections first to promote your business later. The Clubhouse app is an excellent opportunity to participate in conversations that further people’s understanding of who you are and what you do.

If someone offered you the chance to speak to 200 potential clients about what you do, you’d take that opportunity in a heartbeat! The Clubhouse app is not only allowing you to talk to potential clients but with potential clients.

Elon Musk, for example, joined Clubhouse and had a public conversation with some of his followers that provided insight and answered questions. The Clubhouse app broke down the barrier that once existed between Musk and his followers, allowing them to be active participants in conversations they care about.

You could do the same as an authority in your space. The social aspect of any social media platform should be utilized, and the Clubhouse app is an easy way to create a genuine social connection.

Clubhouse is allowing you the chance to talk directly to your target audience and then some. Take it!

What Gravity Junction Can Do for Your Business

At Gravity Junction, we are committed to staying on top of technology growth to ensure your business is always ready to compete online and off. From stunning, responsive web design that turns visitors into clients to social media marketing that provides you with a platform to share and grow the community surrounding your company, Gravity Junction does it all. Contact us today to hear how we can help grow your business.